The Spotted Bufodd

Female Spotted Bufodd (Bottom View)

The Spotted Bufodd is a small, winged arthropod that inhabits the High Wood. Of the many species of Bufodd found here, this particular species has a unique role. This small creature shares a symbiotic relationship to the largest predator in the highwood, The Gigatus. Because the Gigatus moves so slowly in such a moist climate, algae and fungi grow and thrive all over its translucent body. The Spotted Bufodd cleans and grooms this overgrowth of the Gigatus keeping the encroaching plants and fungi at bay. If it isn’t cleared away regularly, the Gigatus becomes susceptible to infection from the rotting plant and fungi matter. Spotted Bufodd are herbivores and their small flat mouths are well adapted for scraping up vegetation and fungi. While this plant growth can be potentially dangerous to the Gigatus, it provides a steady and plentiful diet for the Spotted Bufodd.

Male Spotted Bufodd

Spotted Bufodd rarely leave their chosen Gigatus, and will reproduce on the same host for generations, as their life span tends to be a mere four years. They attach their egg clusters to the Gigatus, usually near the underside of its body, using a sticky fluid that comes from the reproductive organs of the female. Females lay up to twenty eggs at a time. Most of the eggs will fall from the Gigatus before they hatch or be stolen by Mardiks and other canopy scavengers. Male and female Spotted Bufodd are usually the same size and weight so there is little difference between the sexes. Males will attach themselves to females for up to a fill day, depositing sperm into her epigyne or genital opening. Once the sperm has been deposited, the female will hold onto the sperm for months afterward. This increases the chance of having offspring if males are not present on the host.